Identificações em alinhamentos policiais: factores determinantes

Mestrado em Psicologia ForensePor vezes a prova testemunhal é o único meio que temos para resolver um crime. Contudo vários estudos demonstram a ausência de validade desta prova uma vez que a percentagem de erros na identificação de suspeitos pode ascender aos 75%. Os estudos existentes que incluem alinhamentos e os factores determinantes na percentagem de acertos (tipo de alinhamento e presença de alvo) não são conclusivos. Perante isso a presente investigação visa estudar, na população portuguesa, esses factores que a literatura considera preponderantes, bem como incluir uma variável ainda não estudada e que julgamos poder interferir no número de acertos: o tipo de crime (contra bens ou contra pessoas). Este estudo visa também controlar diversas variáveis que a literatura aponta como parasitas. A amostra é constituída por 64 participantes (34 homens e 30 mulheres) com idades compreendidas entre os 18 e 65 anos. Os participantes são provenientes de estratos sociais e de níveis de escolaridade diversificados, com o objectivo de conceder uma maior validade ecológica ao estudo. O presente estudo foi concebido com um desenho experimental 2x2x2 onde os factores são o tipo de alinhamento (simultâneo ou sequencial), a presença do alvo no alinhamento (presente ou ausente), e o tipo de crime (crime contra bens ou crime contra pessoas). O tipo de alinhamento e a presença do alvo são variáveis inter-sujeitos, sendo o tipo de crime uma variável intra-sujeitos. Os resultados obtidos sugerem que os diversos procedimentos parecem conduzir a diferenças pouco significativas entre si. Ainda assim parecem haver algumas diferenças, ainda que ao nível absoluto, entre os dois tipos de crime. Especificamente, quando confrontados com o crime contra pessoas, os indivíduos dão mais erros do que quando expostos ao crime contra bens. Também os efeitos das variáveis tipo de alinhamento e presença do alvo diferem de algum modo entre os dois tipos de crime. Assim sugere-se que esta variável deva ser tida em conta em estudos futuros desta natureza. Mediante análise global, cerca de 70 % dos indivíduos identificaram um inocente, cedendo ao direito informação sobre o real valor da prova por reconhecimento num país onde esta é meio de prova.Sometimes eyewitness testimony is the only way we have to solve a crime. However several studies have demonstrated the reduced validity of this evidence, since the percentage of errors in suspect identification could be up 75%. Previous studies that included line-ups and investigated the factors that critically influence the percentage of correct responses (type of line-up and presence of the target) are not conclusive. Thus, the present study aims to investigate, in the Portuguese population, the main factors suggested in the literature which affect accuracy in suspect identification in criminal line-ups. Additionally, we have included a variable that has not been studied yet and that we believe can affect the number of hits: the type of crime (against property or against persons). Finally, this study also aims to control a number of issues that the literature points out as confounding variables. The sample consisted of 64 participants (34 men and 30 women) between 18 and 65-years-old. Participants belong to diverse social and educational levels, with the aim of providing greater ecological validity to the study. The experimental design is a 2x2x2, with type of line-up (simultaneous or sequential) and presence of the target (present or absent) as between-subjects factors, and type of crime (against property or against persons) as within-subjects factor. Results suggested that the different procedures seem to lead to minor differences between them. Yet, in absolute numbers, some differences were observed between the two types of crime. Namely, when individuals were confronted with the crime against people, they made more identification errors than when they observed the crime against property. Moreover, the effects of the variables type of line-up and presence of the target differed somewhat between the two types of crime. Thus it is suggested that this variable should be taken into account in future studies of this type. In global terms, we verified that about 70% of the times participants identified an innocent person. This finding provides significant information to courts of law about the real value of eyewitness identifications in a country where this is considered valid evidence

Psicofisiologia do testemunho ocular

Doutoramento em PsicologiaAs testemunhas oculares são muitas vezes o único meio que temos para aceder à autoria de um crime. Contudo, apesar dos 100 anos de evidência de erros no testemunho ocular, a consciência das suas limitações como meio de prova só ganhou força no advento do ADN. De facto os estudos de exoneração mostraram que 70 % das ilibações estavam associadas a erros de testemunho ocular. Estes erros têm um impacto social elevado principalmente os falsos positivos, por colocar inocentes na prisão. De acordo com a literatura, deverão ser utilizadas novas abordagens para tentar reduzir o numero de erros de identificação. Destas abordagens, destacam-se a análise dos padrões de movimentos oculares e os potenciais evocados. Nos nossos estudos utilizamos essas novas abordagens com o objetivo de examinar os padrões de acerto ou de identificação do criminoso, usando um paradigma de deteção de sinal. No que diz respeito aos movimentos oculares, não foram encontrados padrões robustos de acerto. No entanto, obtiveram-se evidências oculométricas de que a fusão de dois procedimentos (Alinhamento Simultâneo depois de um Alinhamento Sequencial com Regra de Paragem) aumenta a probabilidade de acerto. Em relação aos potenciais evocados, a P100 registou maior amplitude quando identificamos um inocente. Este efeito é concomitante com uma hiperactivação no córtex prefrontal ventromedial (CPFVM) identificada na análise de estimação de fontes. Esta hiperativação poderá estar relacionada com uma exacerbação emocional da informação proveniente da amígdala. A literatura relaciona a hiperativação no CPFVM com as falsas memorias, e estes resultados sugerem que a P100 poderá ser um promissor indicador de falsos positivos. Os resultados da N170 não nos permitem associar este componente ao acerto na identificação. Relativamente à P300, os resultados mostram uma maior amplitude deste componente quando identificamos corretamente um alvo, mas não diferiu significativamente de quando identificamos um inocente. Porém, a estimação de fontes mostrou que nessa janela temporal (300-600 ms) se verifica uma hipoativação dos Campos Oculares Frontais (COF) quando um distrator é identificado. Baixas ativações dos COF estão relacionadas com redução da eficiência de processamento e com a incapacidade para detetar alvos. Nas medidas periféricas, a eletromiografia facial mostrou que a maior ativação do corrugador e a menor ativação do zigomático são um bom indicador de quando estamos perante um criminoso. No que diz respeito ao ritmo cardíaco, a desaceleração esperada para os alvos devido à sua saliência emocional apenas foi obtida quando a visualização de um alvo foi acompanhada por um erro na identificação (i.e., um falso negativo). Neste trabalho de investigação parece que o sistema nervoso periférico está a responder corretamente, identificando o alvo, por ser emocionalmente mais saliente, enquanto que a modulação executiva efectuada pelo CPFVM conduz ao falso positivo. Os resultados obtidos são promissores e relevantes, principalmente quando o resultado de um erro poderá ser uma condenação indevida e, consequentemente, uma vida injustamente destruída.Eyewitnesses are often the only way we can access the author of a crime. However, despite 100 years of evidence of errors in eyewitness testimony, awareness of its limitations only gained strength with the advent of DNA. In fact, 70% of exonerations have been associated with eyewitness errors. These errors have a high social impact, mainly false positives. According to the literature, new approaches to try to reduce the number of identification errors should be used. Of these, the study of oculometric patterns and event-related Potentials (ERP) stand out. In our studies, these new approaches were used with the objective of examining patterns of accuracy, using a signal detection paradigm. Regarding eye movements, no entirely clear patterns were found. However, there was oculometric evidence that the merging of two procedures (Simultaneous Lineup after a Sequential Lineup with Stopping Rule) increases performance accuracy. Regarding ERPs, the P100 registered a larger amplitude when an innocent was identified. This effect is concomitant with a hyperactivation in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) identified by source estimation analysis. This hyperactivation might be related to an emotional exacerbation of the information coming from the amygdala. The literature relates the hyperactivation in the VMPFC with false memories, and these results suggest that the P100 component might be a promising marker of false positive errors. The results of the N170 do not allow to associate this component with accuracy. Regarding the P300, the results showed a greater amplitude of this component when a target was correctly identified but did not differ significantly from when an innocent was identified. However, source analysis in this time window (300-600 ms) showed a hypoactivation of Frontal Eye Fields (FEF) when a distractor was identified. FEF inactivations are related to the reduction of processing efficiency and to the inability to detect a target. Concerning the peripheral measures, facial electromyography showed that the greater activation of the corrugator and the lower activation of the zygomaticus are a good marker of when we are facing a perpetrator. Regarding heart rate, the expected deceleration for the targets due to their emotional salience was only obtained when the visualization of a target was accompanied by an error in the identification (i.e., a miss). In this research it seems that the peripheral nervous system is responding correctly, identifying the target, because it is emotionally more salient, while the executive modulation carried out by the VMPFC causes the false positive error. The results presently obtained are promising and relevant, especially when the result of an error might be an undue condemnation of an innocent and consequently a destroyed life

Are coping and workplace psychosocial factors related to work ability in physicians? A PLS-SEM approach

Background/Objective: Over the last few years, new statistical techniques have been developed in the context of multivariate analysis, which are proving to be very useful in the social or health sciences, even marketing. The aim of this work was to study the interplay between 3 scales: BriefCOPE for evaluating coping strategies; COPSOQII for assessing psychosocial factors; and WAI for assessing work ability. Methods: Considering a subpopulation of physicians (n=35) we applied the Partial Least Squares Structure Equations Modelling (PLS-SEM) technique to study the relation between the 3 scales. Results: Regarding the analysis of BriefCOPE and WAI, the only BriefCOPE domain significantly related to WAI was ‘Strategies focused on emotions’ (β=0.329;p=0.038). In COPSOQII and WAI analysis, the COPSOQII domain ‘Health and wellness’ was significantly associated with WAI (β= 0.599; p<0.001) with a strong effect. In final model regarding the three scales, we could observe that the apparent relationship between WAI and ‘Strategies focused on emotions' (BriefCOPE) is mediated by the COPSOQII domain ‘Health and wellness’ (p = 0.047), which shows that there is small effect between the BriefCOPE and WAI. Conclusions: This study is the first to test relationships between these three scales simultaneously. Using a PLS-SEM approach to analyse the data, the results of the present study highlight the central role of ‘Health and wellness’ in work ability and in the mediation between coping ‘Strategies focused on emotions’ and work ability. These data suggest that employers should implement organizational policies that enhance health and well-being in order to achieve better performance from their employees.publishe

A longitudinal study on maternal depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic: the role of strict lockdown measures and social support

Objectives: This study examined the trajectory of perinatal depressive symptoms in Portuguese women during the COVID-19 pandemic and the role of individual, relational, and contextual risk and protective factors. Methods: This 3-wave longitudinal study followed 290 pregnant women from the third trimester of pregnancy until 6-months postpartum. Women self-reported on depressive symptoms, psychological (anxiety, perceived stress, mindfulness), relational (perceived social support, dyadic adjustment, sexual wellbeing), and contextual (lockdown status) factors. Results: Women who were under strict lockdown presented significantly higher scores of depressive symptoms at baseline (by 1.38 EPDS points) than women who were not under strict lockdown measures. Mixed Growth Models showed that trajectories of depressive symptoms were explained by differences in women’s baseline depression. Differences in women’s depressive symptoms at baseline were mainly explained by higher anxiety and lower social support (22% and 24% for women under lockdown; 39% and 6% for women not on lockdown, respectively). Conclusion: Preventative interventions targeted at pregnant women should aim to reduce anxiety and enhance women’s social support to prevent depression in pregnancy and postpartum during the COVID-19 pandemic

When he smiles : attractiveness preferences for male faces expressing emotions

The impact of sexual dimorphism on facial attractiveness has been controversial due to contradictory results, particularly in studies on female preferences. Given that sexually dimorphic facial features, especially more masculine ones, have been previously related to the perception of anger, we investigated the bi-directional influence of emotional expressions and facial masculinity and explored their impact on women’s preferences for facial masculinity. We confirmed the effect of facial sexual dimorphism on the perception of emotional cues (happiness and anger) and explored whether smiling or angry expressions influence women’s perception of masculinity in male faces. Additionally, we examined women's preferences for emotionally expressive male faces altered along a continuum of masculinity. Results showed that masculinized faces are perceived as angrier, while feminized faces are perceived as happier (Experiment 1), and that angry faces are perceived as more masculine when compared to happy faces (Experiment 2). Noteworthy, our Experiment 3 uncovered a pivotal finding: women prefer reduced feminization in happy faces compared to neutral/angry faces. This suggests that the avoidance response observed towards masculinity is attenuated by a smiling expression. The current study introduces a new perspective to be considered when exploring the role of facial masculinity in women’s attractiveness preferences.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Parenting styles and the connection with nature: A look into a nature program

Currently, there seems to be a decline in direct experiences of nature, with a consequent decrease in connection with nature, which could unavoidably result in negative consequences, especially in what concerns children.  With the goal of narrowing this ever-growing gap, as well as raising awareness for the importance of outdoor spaces/nature as promoters of development and learning, the Invisible Limits Project (IL) was founded. Thus, the present investigation aimed to better understand the enrollment motives, sociodemographic variables, parenting styles and Nature Relatedness (NR) of parents who enrolled their children in IL, as well as to analyze these same variables and identify parent profiles based on NR and frequency of nature contact, while additionally attempting to ascertain the role of contact with nature as a predictor of NR, all in an effort to rethink and improve existing educational offers. The investigation follows a comparative typology, counting 286 total participants, divided into an experimental group (n=135) - comprised of those who enrolled their children in IL - and a control group (n=151), to which the previous criterion did not apply. For the statistical analysis of the collected data, IBM SPSS Statistics v25, jamovi v1.6, JASP 0.16.1.0 and MaxQDA v2020.4 were used. In what pertains to the results, the main reason for parents to enrol their children in an educational experience in nature was the promotion of contact with nature. Additionally, there were no observable differences between groups, regarding both parenting styles and NR. Concomitantly, frequent contact with nature (both during childhood and throughout life) was determined to be a predictor of a higher NR. In view of the results and in view of the current climate changes, as well as life’s sustainability on the planet, further studies are required, in order to better understand one’s connection with nature

Do masculine men smell better? An association between skin color masculinity and female preferences for body odor

This work was supported by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia and Programa Operacional de Potencial Humano/Fundo Social Europeu (SFRH/BD/77592/2011 to M.L.C.).A recent study claimed face skin color as a sexually dimorphic variable that influences attractiveness preferences in mate choice. Thereby, skin color may assume the role of a mate quality signal influencing attractiveness preferences. As body odor is linked to attractiveness, this study aimed to explore whether the odors of men with more masculine facial skin color would be evaluated more positively than odors from less masculine men. Female raters were presented with body odors of 18 men and were asked to rate them in various characteristics. Multilevel modelling revealed that the odors of the donors with more masculine color were rated not only as more attractive, more pleasant, and sexier, but also healthier. This indicates that odor associated with men with more masculine skin color is attractive, just as other sexually dimorphic traits. Furthermore, we found a negative relation between skin color masculinity and perceived odor maleness. Regarding this last finding, a new discussion is introduced with respect to the influence of cognitive stereotypes in odor judgments. Altogether, the study supports the possibility that chemosensory signals may be communicating signs of mate quality associated with masculinity.PostprintPeer reviewe